Oswin Köhler was one of the most important German Africanists of the second generation. He headed the Institute of African Studies at the University of Cologne from 1957 until his retirement in 1977. He studied many African languages from the Khoisan, Bantu, Gur and Nilotic language groups or families. His academic legacy is currently kept in the Oswin Köhler Archive at the Institute of African Studies of the Goethe University Frankfurt.